Recovering photos and videos deleted from Google Drive

If you used Drive for desktop on a computer, look in that computer's Recycle Bin as well. Files you deleted through the synced folder land there, and they sometimes outlive the Drive bin. One catch: if someone else owned the file and shared it with you, it was never in your bin. Only the owner can restore it.

Check Bin in Drive first, deleted files sit there for 30 days before they go for good. Select them and Restore. If you've already emptied the Bin it gets harder. Google's Drive help has a request form for recovering recently deleted files on personal accounts, and it does sometimes work, but it's not something to count on. On a work or school account your admin can restore them for a short window after deletion, so ask them first. Also worth checking Google Photos separately if those were ever backed up there. Photos has its own Bin and it isn't the same as Drive's.